Eilif Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 (edited) So, my OEM radio was periodically attacking me with full-volume static, even when turned off! I'm anticipating needing some guidance so I'll record the whole process here. |I'm working with a 2015 TC Connect Wagon LWB -Has Backup camera and 4.2" screen -No Nav or satellite radio. -Steering wheel controls The goals are: -Better Radio that doesn't assault me with static. -Retain steering wheel controls -CD player -USB power and input. -Retain stock rear view camera and 4.2" screen Not looking to add Nav, DVD, Video, or a touch screen. I bought the whole kit and caboodle from Crutchfield. For anyone looking at this as an option, here's what they sold me for a 2015 Transit Connect wagon that already had a back-up Camera and 4.2" display Sony WX-920BT Radio $118.00 Metra 40-EU10 Antenna Adapter $11.69 Metra 99-5831 Dash Kit Painted Black $77.96 Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter $46.74 Metra ISOPK Screw Pack $1.55 Axxess XSVI-5524-NAV Wiring Interface $38.97 Subtotal $294.91 Shipping FREE Sales Tax $18.44 Total $313.35 Could possibly have saved a couple bucks buying some of the parts on amazon, but the pricing was pretty competitive. I skipped the usual crimp connectors and bought a pack of 50 WAGO lever nut wire connectors at Menards for around 12 bucks. Dang these things are easy to use. You still have to strip your own wire, but connection/de-connection/reconnection is flawless! So far the instructions Crutchfield emailed me are moderately useful mostly, though I just compared the wire lists from the radio and from the wiring kit and matched them up. So far so good. 1) Radio is hooked up and dash facia installed. Looks pretty good. Black Facia looks good, and seems to match the color of the HVAC control panel below all seems to fit quite well. The finish called "Painted Black" but it looks like it's a rubberized paint which isn't fooling anyone as far as originality but at least looks a bit better than flat black paint and doesn't draw attention to itself. 2)Radio works and looks nice. Sounds better than stock but I assume it's performance is still being held back by the stock speakers. 3)Backup camera works! And now the not so good. Any suggestions for dealing with 1,2 below would be appreciated! 1) Radio display is hard to read. It's clear enough viewed strait on, but with the way the TC angles the radio upward, it looks much dimmer and seems to get more reflection. Very annoying. Might try to rig up a shade, but I'm not a fan of such tackiness... 2)In an odd bit of un-functionality, the stock backup camera screen doesn't work when the plug going to the airbag indicator is attached. At this point I'm just leaving that unplugged as it doesn't affect my daily functionality. 3) The rubberized surface of the facia is a fingerprint magnet! Wipes away easily, but have a napkin handy. So that's where I'm at now. Will update as things progress. So far, I'm reasonably pleased. I'm in about $325 total at this point. If I skipped the steering wheel kit, I could have easily kept this at $280. Next up Installing the Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter. Wish me luck. Attached Thumbnails Edited September 5, 2019 by Eilif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Nickels Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanger_missle Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 About a month ago I contacted Crutchfield for advice on replacing the head unit in the TC. I have the same stock setup as you; no nav but with steering wheel controls and the 4" screen. I wanted to retain the steering wheel controls and keep the 4" screen for the backup camera so I could install a non-touchscreen double DIN head unit. The Crutchfield service advisor built a package for me that included the Maestro ADS-MSW steering wheel control adapter. He wasn't sure if the Axxess adapter would work. That's nice to hear from someone with first-hand experience that it will work. Did you have any issues with the Metra dash kit? I have read some reviews that stated that the vent ducts did not fit very well and kept falling off. As far as your issues; would it be possible to shim the head unit to where it would not be angled up? I was under the impression that the brackets in the dash mount kit held the head unit level. I can see how with it being angled up would cause issues with glare, especially with the huge windshield in these vans. The camera issue with the airbag plug is strange. I don't have my wiring manual with me at the moment but when I get off of work I can take a look to see if the camera or camera processing module gets power from that plug or harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eilif Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 On 9/5/2019 at 2:54 PM, Double Nickels said: Looking good Thanks, Been a bit busy and haven't checked in. Still haven't had time to try and get the Steering control working though I contacted Crutchfield to see if they have any ideas before I send it back. On 9/8/2019 at 8:48 AM, stanger_missle said: About a month ago I contacted Crutchfield for advice on replacing the head unit in the TC. I have the same stock setup as you; no nav but with steering wheel controls and the 4" screen. I wanted to retain the steering wheel controls and keep the 4" screen for the backup camera so I could install a non-touchscreen double DIN head unit. The Crutchfield service advisor built a package for me that included the Maestro ADS-MSW steering wheel control adapter. He wasn't sure if the Axxess adapter would work. That's nice to hear from someone with first-hand experience that it will work. Did you have any issues with the Metra dash kit? I have read some reviews that stated that the vent ducts did not fit very well and kept falling off. As far as your issues; would it be possible to shim the head unit to where it would not be angled up? I was under the impression that the brackets in the dash mount kit held the head unit level. I can see how with it being angled up would cause issues with glare, especially with the huge windshield in these vans. The camera issue with the airbag plug is strange. I don't have my wiring manual with me at the moment but when I get off of work I can take a look to see if the camera or camera processing module gets power from that plug or harness. No issues with the Metra dash kit and vents. Seems to be working well. The angle of the radio is set by the way it rests in it's cradle with two pegs at the back and it doesn't seem like it can be tilted level. Your experience is very encouraging. What model year do you have? I'll ask the Crutchfield guy about the Maestro if we can't get the Axxess working. If you've got any advice regarding the airbag I'd love to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd5evn Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Any Updates on the airbag indicator? I have a 2014 Connect and post radio upgrade I have the same problem; plug in the airbag indicator - lose the backup camera, keep the indicator unplugged, keep the camera have an airbag indictor warning on the dash. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eilif Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 (edited) So, here's the coda to my experience. A bit of a 180 from where I was previously. After installing the new Radio, Harness, Steering Wheel Control kit and Mounting/Facia kit... Part 1. The Problems. -Even after maxing the brightness the Sony screen was nearly impossible to see in any kind of daylight. The angle from the Metra kit is just plain wrong for a traditional lcd display. I assume a modern video lcd screen would be better but who knows.. -Never was able to get the steering wheel controls to work. Returned that wiring unit to Crutchfield for a full refund. -Never was able to have both my rear view camera and a functioning airbag indicator at the same time. -Something about the radio kept draining my battery. Local electronics specialist couldn't figure it out but it would stop happening when I unplugged the Sony. Happened so often (every other day nearly) I bought an emergency battery charger. Thought for a couple months about hard wiring in a power cut switch but didn't seem worth it. I didn't want to lose my radio presets every time I turned it off, didn't want to modify the facia kit and I missed having steering wheel control. Part 2. My Solution. I pulled the radio and mulled it over in my head for a long time... -After a few months of cell phone radio and general indecision I bought a head unit (called "reciever" on eBay) from a junkyard seller on eBay with a return policy. Cost about 80 bucks shipped. -Was VERY careful to buy from a listing of the same year that pictured the exact same control panel. Only a couple were like mine with the Backup camera lcd display on top and no mini lcd readout in the middle of the controls. -Took me about 10 minutes to put everything back stock and it all worked with the first power up. Part 3 Now. -I've got back full functionality and my wife is especially glad to have the steering wheel controls back. It's 2 weeks after install and there is no battery drainage. Also, the Backup Camera and Airbag indicator work flawlessly. -I contacted Crutchfield. Seems like they've had similar problems with this combo and they've agreed to take it all back. I don't know what the restocking fee will be or if they'll accept everything in the condition I shipped it, but if I get a good portion of my $ back, I'll be pleased. I'm already pleased with their willingness to work with me, earlier easy return of the steering wheel control kit and the help they offered earlier. Part 4. Alternate options. Though all this I've come across various ways folks have dealt with this problem., I'll list them here for future reference in order of increasing expense. -There is a gentleman here: https://www.focusfanatics.com/threads/stereo-issues-loud-popping-crackling-white-noise-help.546682/page-5 (he includes pictures, scroll most of the way down) who has found that if you open the radio up and apply thermal paste on two hot parts the random static goes away. Only $8 but you have to open up the radio. -Buy an used radio. I found DIY installation is pretty easy if you buy one from a car with the same configuration. $80-100 -NEW OEM unit NOT from Ford. A person at the same topic linked above says "a company out of Virginia called 1 Factory Radio (804-658-5978) they sell the whole radio for $240ish and is very easy to replace" -Buy an aftermarket radio, harness, and mounting/facia, etc. if you can deal with trying to get it to interface with the vehicle. $300-450 or more if DIY, even more if profesionally installed). -Buy a head unit from Ford. I was quoted $350 without installation for a refurb unit. Others have been quoted MUCH more for a new unit installed. Part 5. Conclusions Anyway, make of all this what you will. I'm happy with the end result with my junkyard radio. What it comes down to is that in the end I wasn't willing to sacrifice the original functionality (Camera, wheel control, etc) for an increase in music quality and I was also unwilling to invest hundreds more for a professional install. I would generally recommend a used head for someone who wants the cheapest, lowest hassle solution to this problem but of course YMMV. If the problem comes back, I'll probably try the thermal paste solution, or -as long as it's lasted a couple years- just buy another junkyard radio. I'll report back one last time when I see how much Crutchfield refunds me. I hope this is useful to someone in the future. Good luck folks. Edited February 21, 2020 by Eilif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I ran into *some* of that when I installed a Pioneer Nav receiver in my 2014. The angle isn't the best for viewing, especially when sunlight hits it. I wanted to keep my backup camera in the small screen above the receiver and that's next to impossible to do and have steering wheel controls. In the end, I kept the camera and forgot about steering wheel controls Newer cars use Can-Bus for everything and that makes installing aftermarket stereo systems problematic - Gone are the days when you can just put 12 volts on the stereo and have it turn on and function normally. Now, the Can-Bus is the only thing that turns it on and it keeps it on even after you shut off the car . . . . until you open the drivers door. If your Nav receiver needs a speed sensor, or a parking brake indication, it gets those from the Can-Bus too. When an aftermarket installer wants $300 or more to make it all work, they just might be earning every penny of that - Sad! Great that Crutchfield is working with you on the returns - That says a lot about the company, IMO Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I've found anti-glare screens to be next to useless. Only thing I've ever found that actually kinda sorta works for reducing glare is a visor that clips into the CD slot if there's one above the screen. Even that won't do much good when the sun's low on he horizon and shining right on it. https://www.amazon.com/NaviShade-Navigation-Screen-Protector-Slots/dp/B012PK0NRW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostintransit Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 On 2/21/2020 at 5:37 PM, Beta Don said: I ran into *some* of that when I installed a Pioneer Nav receiver in my 2014. The angle isn't the best for viewing, especially when sunlight hits it. I wanted to keep my backup camera in the small screen above the receiver and that's next to impossible to do and have steering wheel controls. In the end, I kept the camera and forgot about steering wheel controls Newer cars use Can-Bus for everything and that makes installing aftermarket stereo systems problematic - Gone are the days when you can just put 12 volts on the stereo and have it turn on and function normally. Now, the Can-Bus is the only thing that turns it on and it keeps it on even after you shut off the car . . . . until you open the drivers door. If your Nav receiver needs a speed sensor, or a parking brake indication, it gets those from the Can-Bus too. When an aftermarket installer wants $300 or more to make it all work, they just might be earning every penny of that - Sad! Great that Crutchfield is working with you on the returns - That says a lot about the company, IMO Don Don, How did you manage to keep the backup camera working? I have a 2014 and I have the same problem now that I have installed the aftermarket stereo with the Metra body kit - every thing is plugged in but the the backup camera in the original 4.2" screen only works once in a while. I haven't unplugged the airbag indicator becaus I don't want to have to go to the dealer to reset the error message, so I don't know if that will let the backup camera work. If you got it to work reliably, I'd love to know how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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